Solitude
by FlowerOwl
Summary: As they stood there, with the ashes of the ruined world still whirling around them, Impa already knew what Hylia would have to do.


Once, Impa would have thought that the moment they had secured their victory in the war against the Demon King, the moment she would be able to look at Hylia and simply _know_ that the Triforce was safe, she would never be able to ask for more. After all, she had already been given far more than what most people could have dreamt of, having sworn to dedicate her life to serve the goddess, aiding her in any way she could. How many could say that they had been given the same privilege, the chance to stay close to her and earning her trust? Already Impa knew the answer. No one. Except for her, there was no one in the entire world who could claim to enjoy the honour of seeing how Hylia's light would dim for a moment after every battle against the Demon King and his armies, knowing that she trusted her enough to be there with her in those vulnerable moments.

For Impa was there. She would stand next to her, the two of them having broken the silent rule of Impa staying behind Hylia a long time ago, instead taking in the same sight that was capturing Hylia's attention, and try her best to not let her see how the sight of all the death and destruction would reach into her core, make Impa feel a little less certain about it all, a feeling that would quickly disappear when Hylia turned around to look at her, the grief only present on her face for a second before steely determination replaced it.

But as she stood there, near the entrance to the Temple of Hylia that had once been meant as the last stronghold for humanity, only to now have been reduced to broken stones, the courtyard having been torn from the earth to carry those who had been lucky enough to survive until that moment to safety above the clouds, Impa knew that, as selfish as it was, the wish still burnt inside of her. In front of her, she could see what remained of the courtyard where she had first bowed before the goddess and promised that, no matter what it would take, she would always be by her side—a spiral crater, the sealing spike protruding from the earth, almost like it was there with no other purpose than to remind them of everything that had been lost during the battle. For while they might have won, as Impa took in the state of the world around her, the truth was that it did not feel like a victory. A fraction of humanity might have survived, escaping the destruction below when Hylia had sent both the capital of the land and part of the temple to rest above the clouds, but they were so few, and when Impa looked around her, she could not help but wonder if they had been among the lucky ones at all, having been forced to leave the old world behind.

It was the way the air almost seemed to blur around her, a mild breeze brushing against her face, pushing her plait to the side, that first alerted Impa to the fact that she was no longer alone, but even as she heard how the sound of the shoes pressing against the stones that covered the ground echoed through the glade, Impa remained still, staring at the place where the courtyard had once rested rather than turning around to acknowledge the goddess' presence.

And perhaps Hylia realised why she had not greeted her the way she once would have done, for, rather than saying anything, she simply walked over to stand next to her, the two of them being bound together by the silence that almost seemed deafening after the screams that had filled the world around them mere moments ago. Impa would not have been surprised if Hylia already knew about her thoughts—even during those last years where her powers had slowly waned with each and every attack, Hylia had not lost her almost eerie ability to always know what Impa was thinking.

But, finally, Hylia turned towards her, and, try as she might, Impa would never have been able to not do the same, not when she was finally presented with the rare opportunity to forgo the rules and the distance that Hylia's immortality had placed between them. However, as she took in the sight that met her, Impa would almost have wished she had been able to ignore the temptation, for Hylia looked tired in a way Impa had never witnessed before, the aura around her that had always seemed to shine brighter than the sun having grown dim and with her eyes reflecting the desperation and misery that had reached the land around them rather than the usual sparkle of intelligence. Had they not been standing there, near the entrance to the building that had once served as the bridge between Hylia and the people of the kingdom, Impa might have dared to say something, perhaps to try to console her, but with how they were practically standing on top of the grave of the land, Impa was unable to find a sentence that might possibly make any of them feel better about what had happened. After all, was there even anything she could say now, after so many had died, that would not have been another reminder of what they had had together before the war had forced them to abandon the idea of distance between the gods and the mortal realm? Impa doubted it, and so, she stayed silent, instead allowing Hylia to be the one to bring an end to the silence between them.

"He is gone. Demise has been sealed away." where she had been able to inform the humans of what would be necessary if they wanted to be able to hope for a victory in the battle with a calm, composed voice, the words were now barely audible, Hylia's voice trembling as she took a deep breath and continued. "However, the Hero died. He—he died as a result of his quest to aid me, doing exactly what I had asked of him."

And in that moment, as she followed Hylia's line of sight and saw how the goddess was glancing towards the spike in the ground, the carefully carved runes and spells that had been placed upon it being all that kept the Demon King from being able to release his wrath upon the land once more, Impa knew what would happen now. As much as she tried to deny it, fooling herself into thinking that there might still be hope, that all the years she had spent at Hylia's side might have made it so that she would be able to convince her to search for another way, in that moment, Impa knew that what would come next had been inevitable from the moment Hylia had first met her chosen hero.

However, although she had spent years denying herself even the thought of being able to ask the goddess for anything, in that moment, all that mattered to Impa was how she would be left alone if she stood by, doing nothing, so, although she could practically feel how her mother would have berated her for thinking of herself rather than the future of those Hylia had saved, Impa stepped closer to Hylia, allowing herself one second where she did not have to remember what would happen now, instead enjoying the way the air grew warmer around her. Then, forcing herself to gather as much strength as she could find, Impa spoke. "Do you know what you will do now?"

Hylia nodded, and there was something strangely ordinary about the gesture, the lack of the grandeur Hylia had once emitted making Impa feel like her heart had already sunk to the floor. "Yes," Hylia said, "I know what I will have to do to ensure that there will still be a future for those we have saved today even when the seals we have placed around Demise will begin to grow weaker."

There was an edge of finality in her voice, and although Impa would have loved to be able to forget about the promise she had made when she had first dedicated herself to the goddess for even a moment, right then, her duties forced her to blink away the tears, standing up a bit straighter as she responded. "So… I suppose that this is it then. You will not be able to continue like this." as she gestured towards Hylia, Impa herself was not even sure what exactly she was referring to, for while it would have been simplest to claim that she had meant the mystery and immortality, with how her heart ached at the thought of never being able to share another quiet moment with her, Impa suspected that her hesitance and her wish for someone to hear how she had spent the last hours praying for a miracle—Impa having been unable to know exactly whom she was praying to—might have been caused by more than just her dedication to the person standing next to her.

For a moment, Hylia sent her a long look, and, although she knew that it was nothing but wishful thinking, Impa could not help but wonder that, perhaps if things had been different, if the Demon King had not appeared from the fissure in the ground, if the humans had been able to save themselves, things might have been different between them. If they had just got more time, perhaps the years they had spent fighting against the Demon King and his hordes of monsters would instead have brought them closer together. No matter what, Impa knew that she would never be able to get an answer to her questions although her heart fluttered, for a second making her forget about her duties as Hylia stepped towards her.

"While you are right when you say that I will not be able to continue living in this form, it does not have to mean that we will never meet again," Hylia whispered, and after the years she had spent at her side, listening to how she could simply raise her voice, making entire crowds fall silent in a moment, hearing how the war had reduced Hylia to whispering made something warm, angry flow through her veins, though it was soon replaced by confusion and—Impa hated herself for it—the faintest hope.

Impa had hoped she would be able to maintain even a little of her usual composure, able to remain calm, but it seemed that Hylia was not the only one who had felt her powers dwindle during the fight, for, although she tried, Impa was not able to fight the urge to look up and meet her gaze. "What do you mean?"

Hylia did not answer her, instead turning around once more to take in the sight in front of her, how the trees that surrounded the crater had been reduced to ash during the last fight.

It was not until Impa resigned herself to never getting an answer that she finally looked over at her again. "The Hero will be reborn again," Hylia told her, and although Impa knew that it was the last thing that should have been important to her in that moment, she could not help but notice the way the despair that had otherwise been etched into Hylia's features softened for a moment, instead letting a fondness Impa could not remember having ever seen before appear in her eyes, the aura around her shining brighter for a second before Hylia looked down, towards the ground, and the sadness seemed to claim her again as she continued, "and I would be naïve if I believed that Demise will not be able to escape from the prison we constructed for him. This war—it is not over yet, and when it will begin again, I have no choice but to be there as well. I am sure you already know what I will have to do."

She was right. Although Impa would have loved to be able to cling onto the hope that she had misunderstood something, right then, she knew exactly what sacrifice Hylia was planning to bring, and although she knew that she had been prepared for it to happen since the first time she had met the goddess, in that moment, all Impa wanted to do was to beg her to let it wait, to give Impa a chance to say goodbye. But she had been chosen by the goddess, and while she might not have received the same destiny as the Hero, the one who would now be reborn along with Hylia, Impa had still accepted the honour and the pain it would bring her.

So, although she would rather have made the distance between them disappear, running over to throw her arms around Hylia and beg her to stay, Impa remained strong, simply nodding. "I do."

A hint of a smile passed over Hylia's lips, but it was gone just as quickly as it had appeared, her lips instead settling into a determined line. "Once I return to this world again, I will not have any memories from my past life. I will be another person, someone who will not have known about what has happened today and the responsibility that awaits her. She will be confused and frightened. Can I entrust you with the task of ensuring that she will be able to fulfil her destiny?"

More than anything, Impa wanted to deny Hylia her request, to do anything that might make her hesitate and try to find another way to ensure the future she had promised the people above the clouds. But she could not bring herself to do so, could not say something she knew would lead to the faint smile that crossed Hylia's lips for a moment faltering, and so, Impa knelt down, trying her best to look at the ground, knowing all too well that, if she was to look up, she would lose the strength to do what she already knew she had to. With her heart beating wildly in her chest and the tears already forming in the corners of her eyes, Impa brought herself to answer. "I will. No matter what you ask of me, I will do everything I can possibly do to see your wish fulfilled."

Hylia was silent for far longer than Impa had expected, the silence lasting for just enough time for the treacherous hope to flutter in her heart again, before Hylia made it disappear for good.

Taking Impa's hand, placing it between her own and letting the touch bring Impa to look at her, Hylia helped her to her feet so that, when she fixed her with a glance and spoke, they were both standing. "Then I shall leave you."

The promise she had made so many years ago echoed in Impa's ears as she saw the light fade from Hylia's eyes, the goddess stumbling before losing her balance. As Impa caught her in her arms, lowering both of them down until she was sitting on the ground, Hylia's head falling limply against her shoulder, she already knew that it had happened. All she could do now was to wait for Hylia to appear again.

And while the temptation of giving up, to lose hope now that the person who had been her light for so long was gone, almost seemed to chip away at her determination, Impa did not surrender to the feelings of hopelessness, for she was willing to follow Hylia's wishes to her death, no matter what heartbreak it would bring her.


End file.
